panic attack vs labour

[danni27]

Hi all, im 36 weeks today and on countdown for the big day i suffer from panic attacks, which i do not cope with well.... Im worryoing myself sick wondering how i will get through labour when i cope so badly with panic attacks?! xx

[Hidden]

The only thing I could suggest is have an epidural as soon as they say u can. .. speak to ur midwife about ur fears or Alternatively phone ur consultants secetary and explain the situation the epidural will take all the pain away and they will tell u when to push as u won't feel the contractions. ..alot of women go thru all the labour pains in the first stage of labour then to have one in the second stage so you would just be having urs earlier. .. or u could see how u go but labour is so unpredictable it would be better to have it in the beginning of ur that worried

[scoffcat]

Have you been to any classes? I'm just wondering whether having lots of information about what is likely to happen might help you feel more in control. Most hospitals will let you have a tour of the maternity department, so you can picture where you'll be and take away some of the unknown elements. Perhaps you could also ask to talk to one of the midwives there, or to your GP, and come up with some strategies together? Things like breathing techniques, always being told what's happening - they'll have more ideas than me I suspect. And yes, strategies for coping with the pain, as Baby mother suggests.

Panic attacks are truly horrible and I totally understand why you're worried. But it's not definite that you will have one, you might find that you cope fine when it comes to it. You can do this! X

[lou42]

Now I'm not usually one for any hippy stuff particularly, but my sister found that her hypnobirthing cd really helped her get in a positive mindset about the

[Megzey]

The only thing that will help is having pain relief and plenty of it. I don't think u would b normal if you didn't worry about labour. I had a horrible labour with my 2nd & no pain relief with a big baby getting stuck but I still went ahead & had another baby. Its all forgotten about by the time u get home with your baby.

[sl_broch23]

Hi I suffer from panic attacks too. I'm now 27 weeks with babies 2&3 yes it's twins! With my daughter, whos now 3, I made sure it was in my notes that I suffer from them, and spoke with my midwife. She was great and asked me to make a note of anything which calms me down etc. one of my big things is I don't like being too hot so they made sure a fan was available in delivery room, and I had lots of cool wet cloths to rub on forehead/neck and I took bottle of frozen water with me to sip on. My hubby was really good too ad knew what I wanted.

I delivered in under 3hrs after waters went (which was my 1st sign of labour) with zero pain relief or stitches after, didnt even have gas as they say it causes nausea. I concentrated fully on what I was being told by midwife for pushing etc. found I didn't panic at all as was really focused on the job in hand. Couldn't believe I got through it so easy! Different experience this time though as have to go to different hospital and unknown yet whether ill need section etc but much calmer knowing what's to come. It's worth trying to enjoy it as its a fantastic experience.

Good luck and please get in touch if you've any questions xx

[NanKing]

Thanks for your great story sl_broch - there is nothing like hearing from someone in the same boat for danni I expect. I have never gone wholly down the natal hypnotherapy route but I think it has a lot to offer and might just be a total Godsend for someone who suffers from panic attacks. And as lou says if you are too late for a class you could get hold of one of the CDs. It is probably hard to imagine how it will be for you but different things make different people anxious and it would probably help to try to work out what that is likely to be for you. For some people it is the idea of coping with the pain and as people have pointed out hearing about your options for pain relief with help if that is the case for you. For others the fear is more associated with being out of control of what is happening to you - I am one of these and for that reason have personally never opted for an epidural as I wanted to be fully aware of what was happening and to avoid unnecessary monitoring and so have freedom to go where I wanted. Ultimately, after my first baby was born in hospital I opted to be at home for the rest of my babies births as I found that the environment of hospital made both me and my husband 100 x more stressed. This is just me, of course but the point is that what gives you cause for anxiety is very individual and getting at that should help you to come up with strategies to tackle it. sl gives some really helpful points staying in control too e.g.: listening to MWs guidance, controlling your comfort re: heat etc. Definitely worth having that detailed conversation with your Midwife before the big day and even if she doesn't ask come up with your list, as sl suggests, of things which help you to stay calm or calm down. All the best with it all. x